Building Alliances for the Rights of Construction Workers

Currently, construction is the most dangerous line of work in Israel. The safety record in this sector ranks among the worst of all industrialized countries with 7 times the number of accidents as the UK. In 2018 39% of the fatalities in the construction sector were Arab citizens of Israel. Over the past three years, Kav LaOved has drastically expanded and deepened its involvement in the sector, as the dangerous state of construction sites and the complete abdication of responsibility by the relevant authorities constituted not only a violation of labor rights but of the basic human right to safe employment. Key Activities in this project are (1) Monitoring and Data Collection. Daily monitoring and collection of information about construction accidents, the response of relevant authorities and the companies responsible. This database is used by journalists, authorities, embassies and other relevant stakeholders. (2) Monitoring of relevant authorities, such as the Registrar of Contractors, the Ministry of Finance and the newly launched national unit for investigations of construction work accidents. (3) Awareness raising; Aiming for over 100 media items per-year, as well as utilizing social media channels as mean to reach out to the public and to enhance our impact. Furthermore, KLO is critical in giving voice to the workers and humanizing the phenomena by bringing the stories of the individual workers to the public, including the names, ages, and faces of each accident victim. Additionally, KLO spreads awareness among workers to their right to safe workplaces including specific equipment and training and empowers them to demand these from their employers. (4) Legal Work/Litigation for Better Enforcement and Deterrence: KLO will utilize all relevant legal avenues to demand that the relevant authorities assume responsibility for ensuring the safety of workers in this sector. (5) Lobbying and Reforming Public Policy for Advancement of Safety Measures: KLO intends to both inform and pressure decision-makers to fully implement their promised reforms.